“A SHARECROP FAMILY CHRISTMAS”

“A SHARECROP FAMILY CHRISTMAS”
BY RUFUS FRANKLIN STEPHENSON

FOR CHRISTMAS IN THE 50'S,
A TREE WAS ALWAYS CUT,
THEN PLACED INSIDE OUR OLE FARM HOUSE
AND 9 KIDS DRESSED IT UP.

NO FANCY LIGHTS OR RIBBONS
WERE HUNG UPON OUR TREE,
NO STORE-BOUGHT DECORATIONS
WERE THERE FOR ALL TO SEE!

ROPES WERE MADE OF POPCORN,
COLORED PAPER MADE THE CHAINS,
NO SNOW ON CHRISTMAS MORNING,
FEW GIFTS BUT NO TOY TRAINS!

OUR GIFTS WERE NEVER MANY,
JUST ONE OR SOMETIMES TWO,
PERHAPS WE ALL GOT WINTER COATS,
THE BOYS GOT BROGAN SHOES.

A BARLOW KNIFE, I ONCE RECEIVED
AND OH HOW PROUD I WAS,
TO HAVE A KNIFE TO WHITTLE WITH,
THIS GIFT I DEARLY LOVED.

A FANCY DRESS THE GIRLS MAY GET,
HAIR TONIC FOR THE BOYS,
THE GIRLS SOMETIMES GOT LEATHER SHOES
BUT SELDOM WERE THERE TOYS.

HARD TIMES WE HAD AND FUNDS WERE SCARCE,
NO FOOLISH GIFTS WERE BOUGHT,
JUST THINGS THAT ALL US KIDS COULD WEAR,
A LESSON SURELY TAUGHT.

ON CHRISTMAS DAY WE ALL HAD SMILES
AND ROSE AT EARLY DAWN,
BUT IF WE GOT NEW SHOES AND COATS
WE SOON WOULD TRY THEM ON.

THE BOYS PUT ON THEIR BROGANS,
SHOE GREASE WOULD THEN BE USED.
BUT THEN WE PLACED THEM BY THE FIRE
TO WATERPROOF OUR SHOES!

APPLES AND ORANGES A SPECIAL TREAT
AND SEVERAL KINDS OF NUTS,
CANDY CANES AND OTHER SWEETS
WERE THERE WHEN WE GOT UP!

IF THERE WAS EXTRA CASH TO SPEND,
WE MAY GET SEVERAL GAMES,
LIKE CHECKERS, CARDS AND DOMINOES,
THEY KEPT US ENTERTAINED!

ON CHRISTMAS MORNING A FIRE WAS BUILT
IN MAMA’S CAST IRON STOVE,
BUT ALSO IN BOTH FIREPLACES
BEFORE THE CHILDREN ROSE!

MAMA PREPARED OUR BREAKFAST
AND ALL THE FAMILY ATE,
BUT SOON SHE STARTED DINNER,
WHILE EAGER KIDS WOULD WAIT.

NOT ONCE WAS THERE A TURKEY SERVED
FOR US ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
CHICKEN, DUCK BUT SOMETIMES GOOSE,
THIS WAS OUR MAMA’S WAY.

DINNERTIME WOULD SOON ARRIVE
GREAT SMELLS WOULD FILL THE AIR,
HANDS WERE WASHED AND HAIR WAS COMBED
THEN MAMA SAID A PRAYER.

TATER PIE AND CANDIED YAMS,
VEGETABLES OF ALL KINDS,
CHICKEN WITH CORNBREAD DRESSING,
GIBLET GRAVY SERVED EACH TIME.

BANANA PUDDING AND CHOCOLATE CAKE,
COLLARDS AND MUSTARD GREENS,
BUT SOMETIMES CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
ALONG WITH MAMA’S GREEN BEANS!

SHE ALWAYS PREPARED HER VERY BEST
AND DEPENDING ON HOW THINGS WENT,
SOMETIMES OUR TABLE WAS SKIMPY
IF WHAT WE EARNED WAS SPENT!

WE THANKED THE LORD FOR EVERYTHING,
THOUGH OUR TABLE WAS SOMETIMES BARE,
BUT SOMEHOW GOD TOOK CARE OF US,
HIS SON WAS ALWAYS THERE.

A SPECIAL MEAL FOR OUR FAMILY,
MORE FOOD THAN WE COULD EAT,
CAKES AND PIES ENJOYED BY ALL
THESE WERE OUR FAVORITE TREATS.

CHRISTMAS DINNER WAS SOMETIMES SCARCE
BUT WE ENJOYED THEM VERY MUCH,
THE FIFTIES SEEM SO LONG AGO;
BUT SOON WE ALL GREW UP.

WE NOW HAVE FAMILIES OF OUR OWN,
BUT MEMORIES OF THOSE YEARS
REMIND US OF THE GOOD AND BAD
AND BRING BACK SMILES AND TEARS.

OUR FIRST FAMILY CHRISTMAS WAS CELEBRATED IN 1951 ON THE RALPH RAMSEY SHARECROP COTTON FARM IN CLEM, MISSISSIPPI. OUR PARENTS, LOUISE AND MONROE HEGGINS LIVED WITH THEIR NINE KIDS AND WORKED THE FARM WITH MULES AND WALKING PLOWS.

THE FIVE STEPHENSON KIDS WERE KENNIE, RUFUS, EULA MAE, ALTON RAY, AND MARSHALL AND THE FOUR HEGGINS KIDS WERE ROOSEVELT, HIAWATHA, WILLIE MARGIE AND JOHNNY CECIL. OUR AGES RANGED FROM 3 TO 14 AND WE BECAME A FAMILY ON SEPTEMBER 9TH 1951.

OUR PARENTS WERE MARRIED BY ANDREW GRIFFITH, THE LOCAL JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, WHILE THE STEPHENSON KIDS WAITED OUTSIDE. AFTER THE CEREMONY, WE CLIMBED BACK ON A TON AND A HALF CHEVROLET TRUCK THAT HELD EVERYTHING WE OWNED! FROM THERE WE DROVE 2 MILES AND PICKED UP HIAWATHA AND ROOSEVELT, THEN CONTINUED TO OUR SHARECROP HOME WHERE JOHNNY CECIL AND WILLIE MARGIE WOULD JOIN THE FOLLOWING WEEK!

CHRISTMAS WOULD ALWAYS BE CELEBRATED THE SAME EACH YEAR AS I DESCRIBE IN THIS POEM! LIFE ON A SHARECROP COTTON FARM WOULD ALWAYS BE HARD BUT GOD WAS THERE AND WE WERE ALWAYS THANKFUL FOR WHAT HE DID.

EVEN TODAY, THERE'S WAY TOO MUCH POVERTY IN OUR COUNTRY BUT WE STILL HAVE FREEDOM TO WORSHIP AND THAT ALONE IS ALL THAT MATTERS! I WOULD LIKE TO WISH MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU WITH GOOD HEALTH, PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS IN THE COMING NEW YEAR.

RUFUS AND JOYCE STEPHENSON-WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO
CHRISTMAS OF 2018